which records the following Colchester
people as having been accused of witchcraft. The aforementioned
website should be consulted for more information on the subject
and which also records the many other people from the Colchester
district who were so accused.

1573 Benjamin Fairstead
of Colchester

1573 Helen Wedon of Colchester

1576 Ethelreda Pilgrim of Colchester

1582 Margaret Hobigge of Colchester

1582 Sarah Hobigge of Colchester

1582 Margaret Holbeye of Colchester

1582 Catherine Reve of Colchester

1582 Henry Driver of Colchester

1585 Henry Driver of Colchester

1585 Alice Driver of Colchester

1585 Margaret Holbeye of Colchester

1585 Katherine Reve of Colchester

1592 Alice Driver of Colchester

1592 Margaret Rand of Colchester

1599 Elizabeth Shymell of Colchester

1645 'Widow' Stawsby of Colchester

1651 Margaret Burgis of Colchester

1651 John Lock of Colchester

1587 Alan Moore of Lexdon

A True

RELATION

Of the

ARAIGNMENT

Of Thirty

WITCHES

At Chensford in Essex, before Iudge Coniers,
fourteene

whereof were hanged on Friday last, Iuly 25.
1645.

there being at this time a hundred more

in severall prisons in Suffolke

and Essex.

Setting forth the Confessions of the

principall of them.

Also shewing how the Divell had carnall
copulation

with Rebecca West, a young maid, daughter to

Anne West.

And how they bewitched Men, Women, Children,
and

Cattell to death: with many other strange
things,

the like was never heard of before.

The names of those that were executed.

Mrs. Wayt a Mini- Jane Browne. Jane Brigs.

sters wife. Mother Forman. Mother Miller.

Anne West. Rachel Flower. Mother Clarke.

Mother Benefield. Mary Greene. Frances
Jones.

Mother Goodwin. Mary Foster. Mary Rhodes.

Printed at London by I. H.

The Confession of REBECCA WEST,

daughter to Anne West of Colchester in

ESSEX.

The said Rebecca confessed at the Barre,
that about Shrovetide last her mother bad her make haste of her
worke, for she must gee along with her before Sunne downe: and as
they were going over the fields, her mother gave her a great
charge never to speake of what shee should heare or see, and she
faithfully promised to keep counsel. When she came to the house of
meeting there were five Witches more; the two chiefs were Mother
Benefield and Mother Goodwin: this Mother Goodwin pulled out a
Booke, and after their manner they prayed out of it, and presently
their severall Impes appeared in severall shapes: fix whereof
appeared in the shapes of Kitnens about a weeke old in Mother
Benefield's lap, and after she had kissed them, she said unto
Rebecca that those were all her children which she had by as
handsome a man as any was in England. Then they commanded their
Spirits come to kill such a mans Horse, some a cow, some a Childe,
&c. then Mother Benefield called to mother West, and asked if
she were sure that her daughter Rebecca would keepe counsel, or
else she might seeke all their blood. She answered, Rebecca had
promised. They all then replyed, if shee ever did speake of it
that shee should suffer more tortures and paines on earth, then
the paines of hell. Presently mother Benefield said, for more
certainty let her take cur Covenant and Oath as we have already
done. Then they taught her what to say, the summe whereof was to
deny God and her Saviour lesus Christ, to renounce all promises of
his blessings, and the merits of his bitter death and passion, to
beleeve as they did, and to serve and obey as they did. And the
said Rebecca confessed that so soone as she had done thus, the
Divel in the shape of a little blacke dog leaped into hes lap,
& kissed her three times, but she felt them very cold. Shortly
after, when she was going to bed, the Divel appeared unto her
againe in the shape of a hand some young man, saying that he came
to marry her. The manner was thus: he took her by the hand, and
leading her about the roome, said, I take thee Rebecca to be my
wife, and doe promise to be thy loving husband till death,
defending, thee from all harmes; then he told her what shee must
say, whereupon she took him by the hand and said, I Rebecca take
thee to be my husband, and doe promise to be an obedient wife till
death, faithfully to performe and observe all thy commands; the
first whereof was that she should deny and renounce as aforesaid.
And being asked by the ludge whether she ever had carnall
copulation with the Divel, she confessed that she had. And being
asked divers questions by a Gentleman that did speake severall
times with her before and afterward (giving her godly and
comfortable instructions) she affirmed that so soone as one of the
said Witches was in prison, she was very desirous to confesse all
she knew, which accordingly the did, whereupon the rest were
apprehended and sent unto the Gaole. She further affirmed, that
when she was going to the Grand Inquest with one mother Miller
(indicted for a Witch) she told mother Miller that shee would
confesse nothing, if they pulled her to pieces with pincers: and
being asked the reason by the Gentleman, she said she sound her
selfe in such extremity of torture and amazement, that she would
not endure it againe for the world: and when she looked upon the
ground shee saw her selfe encompassed in flames of fire: and
presently the Grand Inquest called for her, where they admit but
one at a time, and so soone as she was thus separated from this
mother Miller, the tortures and the flames beganne to cease:
whereupon she then confessed all shee ever knew, and said that so
soone as her confession was fully ended, she found her conscience
so satisfied and disburdened of all her tortures, that she thought
her selfe the happiest creature in the world: withall affirming
that the Divel can take any shape, and speake plaine English.

Another Witch sent her maid to a neighbours
house for a handfull of herbes, who meeting with her sweetheart
staid an houre by the way, saying she should bee halfe hanged for
staying so long: whereupon he told her that in such a place in
their owne garden there grew the same herbes, so it was but going
over the pale and her iourney was ended; which she did, and
pleased her mistris well for her long stay, by bringing those
herbes. At night her mistris bade her go up to bed first, which
made her mistrust something; where upon she peeked between the
boards, and observed her mistris to cut the herbes in small
peeces, shrewing them about the roome: the next morning her
husband rising betimes found twelve or fourteene great Hogs, being
all his owne, dead in the yard, and so for his Sheepe and all his
other Cattell, and telling his wife how they were undone, she
replyed, Hath the queane served me thus? she shall suffer for it.
Then he examined the maid, and both gave evidence. This was at
Ipswich in Suffolke.

The evidence of Mr. Long a Minister
neere

Colchester in Essex.

First, that as he was riding on the way, the
shape of a red Dog passed by him, at which his blood did rise: and
being passed a small distance, turned his face, his eyes appearing
not like the eyes of any creature, his horse presently started,
and never left kicking and flinging untill he threw him downe, but
had no hurt. An old woman in the Towne called goodwife Clarke
being mistrusted and examined before Sir Thomas Boes, confessed
that she sent forth this spirit, with command to make the horse
throw Mr. Loig and breake his necke: and being demanded by Sir
Thomas Boes what was the reason the Spirit did not performe her
commands, she answered because the power of God was above the
power of the Divel. But the horse did pine to death for his
punishment.

The evidence of the said Mr.
Long.

He said that one morning as he was walking
abroad, a poore woman being of his own Parish spake kindly to him,
but his answer was that he had a long time a good opinion of her,
although he ever accounted her sister, an ill liver, and little
better then those that are accounted Witches, but now he strongly
beleeved that her sister had made her as bad as herselfe; this
much troubled the old woman, and she would not leave following and
perswading of the said Mr. Long to bee of his former good opinion,
professing her own innocence in any ill of such nature, or any
compact with such evil Spirit whatsoever: but finding him not
satisfied with any thing she had said, she assured him she would
give him an evidence undenyable, whereupon she lifted up both her
hands towards heaven, calling God to witnes, and desired that he
would shew a present Iudgement upon her if she were not innocent
and cleare: now Mr. Long affirmed upon his oath that these words
were no sooner out of her mouth, but she was strucke to the ground
upon her back before his face, where she did lye in a most
lamentable condition, trembling and crying; be took her up and
carried her into an Alehouse hard by, where she did lie in this
extremitie two dayes, and that so soone as she came to herselfe he
gave her the best comfort he could, shewing how mercifull God had
beene to her in sparing her life, giving her time of repentance,
the first step whereof must be her confession and contrition,
whereupon she confessed that she had done much mischief, and that
she had compacted with the Devill, that hee usually sucked her and
appeared unto her in the shape of a Squirell. These aforesaid
Witches have confessed that they did raise the great windes in
March last, and caused a Hoy to be cast away, wherein were many
passengers.

When these Witches came first into the
Gaole at Colchester, the Gaoler lost his meat often, and
mistrusting that the Witches had got it, upon a time bought a good
shoulder of Mutton, and said hee would looke to the dressing of it
himselfe, but when it was ready the Witches had got it, and all
the while the Witches were at supper with it, the Gaoler in stead
of Mutton was eating Hogs-wash.

After this the Gaoler desirous to see more
of their feats, intreated some of them to shew him a little of
their cunning, thinking to make himselfe meny for the losse of his
meat, whereupon one of the Witches bid him goe fetch her foure
pewter dishes wherein never water came; straightway went the
Gaoler to a Pewterer and got 4. new dishes, and afore he brought
them to the Witch he wet one of them, contrary to the Witches
direction, neverthelesse as soone as the Witch had them, she put
her bands and feet into the foure dishes, and upon an instant was
lifted into the ayre with three dishes that were dry, the fourth
falling off, and by good chance was found in a meadow about halfe
a mile off, and brought backe to Prison.